Hotelier Abdul Suleman Awarded Ellis Island Medal of Honor

SAN FRANCISCO—Global hotelier Abdul M. Suleman has been awarded the 2014 Ellis Island Medal of Honor by the National Ethnic Coalition of Organizations (NECO).

Suleman is founder and CEO of Equinox Hospitality Group, based here, and former SVP of Hyatt Hotels Corporation.

The medal pays homage to the immigrant experience by honoring individuals, pluralism and democracy that have enabled ancestry groups to maintain their identities while becoming integral parts of the American way of life. The medals are awarded to native-born and naturalized U.S. citizens from various ethnic backgrounds. Suleman was the only hotelier honored this year.

He migrated to the U.S. to attend Brigham Young University in the late 1960s. More than 30 years ago, he entered the hospitality industry. Suleman left Hyatt Hotels Corporation and founded Equinox Hospitality in 1994. The group owns, develops, repositions, operates and asset manages hotels globally.